"Suffereth violence.-The figure is from assaulting a citadel. Heaven has to be striven for by zeal, by mortification, by toil, and only those who thus strive shall carry it. Until now is a Hebraism which does not mean that this violence ceased, but rather that it continues and will. See i. 25.

18. "Venit enim Joannes neque manducans neque bibens, et dicunt: Dæmonium habet.

19. "Venit Filius Hominis manducans et bibens, et dicunt: Ecce homo vorax et potator vini, publicanorum et peccatorum amicus. Et justificata est sapienti à filiis suis."

18. For "John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say: He hath a devil.

19. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say: "Behold, a man that is a glutton and a wine-drinker, a friend of publicans and sinners. And wisdom is justified by her children.

From the personal sanctity and work of the Baptist, Our Lord turns to the multitude and points out how little effect it had upon them. He addresses all; but the barrenness of preaching and example upon the Scribes and Pharisees is particularly alluded to. If some one came to us this way, or if one came to us that way, you will say: "We came to you in every way, and all to no purpose." This would seem to be the drift of these sentences of the sacred text.

1The prophets.-Prophecy regarding Our Lord's coming as the Messias ceased with John. Whatever prophecies are made after John, belong to the time after the preaching of Our Lord. Until John. Hebraism again. It does not mean that John did not prophecy but rather that he did.

2Receive it.-Mc Carthy objects to it, as neither the Greek nor Latin copies have the word. The meaning is; John will be another Elias to you, if you listen to him, and he would convert you as Elias did once and will do again at the end of time.

This generation, seems to be uttered in contempt. It is generally applied in that manner to the Pharisees.

4We have piped.-The allusion is to a band of children who tried to keep another band of sulky children in good humour. They could not make them either dance or cry.

John. Mortification and penance had no effect upon the Pharisees except to produce calumnies.

6Our Lord's genial, social manner only scandalised them, and made them call names. The Pharisees are yet with us in various guises.

By her children.-The sense here seems to be plain enough. In Oriental phraseology-in the Celtic for instance-a man is called the mac or son of his trade or calling; so in Hebrew. The children of wisdom are its followers, those who hearkened to John and Our Lord.

Some say that these words were uttered when Our Lord and His Apostles met after their missionary tour, and before he sent the Seventy-two. Others that he uttered them when the Seventytwo returned. Others that he uttered them at two different times, and in this, several Fathers are agreed. The gist of the matter seems to be this: He had spoken of the Scribes and Pharisees, who not only refused to believe in Him, but actually maligned Him. He now addresses Himself to those who did believe, but failed to reform their lives accordingly. He wishes to show that those who believe and practise not, are worse, in a certain manner, than those who reject the motives of belief. A grand theological question arises here, and has split the theological world into twenty sections since the utterance of the sentence by Our Lord, namely, if Tyre and Sidon would have done so well, why did He not go there, and not be throwing his time away on the obstinate? For this question see theology; and blessed art thou, if thou becomest wiser than thou art.

1Corozain. Bethsaida.-Commentators try to fix the sites of these now deserted cities. They mention two or three Bethsaidas. There must have been a dozen, as it literally means a fish house. Our Lord spoke of two towns near Capharnaum, which he had often honoured by his presence and in which he had performed miracles. Tyre and Sidon were towns of the Gentiles, into which—by a special decree of Providence-they were not to go until after the Ascension.

2Tolerable.-Both shall suffer, but some less than the others.

Capharnaum.—This place, chosen by Our Lord as His own city, gets a heavier curse. There is no sign of its existence at the present day

except on maps.

4Sodom. Perhaps.—The perhaps here is introduced into the Vulgate as forte. Forte does not always mean perhaps in Latin, and in Greek av means yea, or an asseveration. Our Lord knew very well whether they could have remained or not. This is a mis-translation.

Cornelius A Lapide concludes that those who are more favoured here, and abuse favours, shall be more punished hereafter.

The gradation of punishment in hell involves a curious problem. If one goes there, the lightness of eternal pain is a very poor consolation.

Some observe that these words were said by Our Lord, not